So We Sing
by CantansAvis
Summary: Immediate post-war fic based on a few songs on the radio. Zutara :)
1. What About Now?

***Avatar: the Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon... I think.**

The smile on Zuko's face faded as he looked at the girl leaning on the railing. He listened to the group continue to dissect Sokka's painting. ("Wait, are me, Toph and Katara fighting?" "Why is Appa in the tea shop?" "Momo is bigger than Appa!")

The smile still twitched on Zuko's face, amused at Sokka's protests. ("It was more exciting! Appa likes tea. I think. Momo's self-esteem needs uplifting!") But his focus remained on the girl in blue. Zuko left the ranting the group and dismayed Sokka and joined the girl who was staring at the setting sun.

* * *

Their relationship had been admittedly rocky at first. Well, "rocky" was an understatement. She had hated his very existence since day one. Her ocean eyes were usually filled with rage, like a storm in the sea, even when she merely glanced his way. In fact, the room seemed to cool and the mood sour when Zuko entered and she was there.

Zuko couldn't stand it. He _wanted_ to hate her back. But he couldn't And he was very confused. He used to hate so easily. But this girl seemed to have this anti-Zuko-hate shield. He hated that he couldn't hate her!

And he was determined to stop the hate. Hate started and fueled the war. Zuko, prince of hate, learned to hate hate. When they found her mother's killer, hate seemed to disappear, washed and purified by the rain of that day. And something else happened. Something Zuko couldn't quite distinguish. But he liked it.

And apparently so did she. On the way back home, on Appa's back in the pouring rain, surrounded by the smell of wet bison, while he was yelling for directions, she kissed him. He was shocked (and still wondering which way to steer Appa), but he didn't mind. She was so warm and soft and passionate and _alive_...

"Thank you," she whispered, her eyes closed as she rested her forehead against his. He simply smiled in reply.

When they got back to camp, Zuko and Katara exchanged a look of guilt as Aang greeted them eagerly. They both knew that Aang liked Katara, and they couldn't bear to break the little guy's heart. He may be the avatar, and he may be able to save the world, but he was still twelve years old. They couldn't ignore what happened. But they couldn't continue it either. They all needed to focus, there was a war going on.

Every once in awhile though, in the dead of night, or just before dawn, they would meet. Just to talk. Or maybe even repeat the "Appa-incident", as they fondly called that moment.

Sometimes, in the solitude of his tent, Zuko pondered what would happen after the war. Who would be Firelord? Where was his uncle? Could he and Katara be together? What about Aang? And Mai? At the point where he reached Mai, Zuko would just groaned into his pillow and decided to sleep. He could sort this all out later. If they managed to survive this war.

* * *

"So..." Zuko felt the growing awkwardness of the silence. "The sky is very pretty." Zuko mentally slapped himself. He sounded so stupid. And awkward.

"Yeah." Zuko noticed she sounded distant, worried. Her tone usually bright, was dull. Her eyes, usually attentive and actually looking at the person she was talking to, were focused on the horizon.

Zuko scooched closer to Katara. "What's wrong?" He went to place a comforting arm around her. She moved away.

"It's just... well I never... and well..." Katara struggled to find the right words. She groaned and bowed her head in frustration.

"You're confused?"

She looked at the new Firelord, who would much prefer to work in his uncle's tea shop than stress about rebuilding the world. She nodded.

"Yeah, me too." Zuko looked back at the setting sun.

"What happens now Zuko? What about today?" Katara roughly grabbed the boy by the shoulders, blue eyes searching for answers in the gold.

"We rebuild the world!" a cheery voice said. The pair quickly backed away from each other, each giving off an air of 'nothing-was-totally-happening'. "What'd I miss while I was feeding Appa?"

"Oh, not much." Katara swayed back and forth, nervous.

"Uh yeah," Zuko stumbled. He started inside. "Katara, I'll see you_ later._" Behind Aang's back, he pointed to the air bison munching on a load of hay in front of the tea shop.

She nodded in reply, a knot - whether good or bad - forming in the pit of her gut as Aang approached her.

* * *

Aang left her spinning. And blushing. And all the more confused. Zuko watched, conflicted. But he only wanted Katara to be happy. So if the avatar made her happy, so be it.

Zuko looked to Mai, talking as animatedly as she could be with Suki and Toph. He loved Mai. He loved her strength, her compassion, her... Mai-ness. But it just couldn't compare to his love for Katara. It was as if it was a full moon, and Katara was pulling him in like the tide.

Katara, somehow, gave him his full potential. Zuko loved his uncle and, perhaps if given more time, he alone could've made Zuko the man he was today. But they separated. Luckily, Aang gave him a gentle boost towards love and trust. And Katara just pushed him with all her strength, both directly and indirectly. She was making him all that he was meant to be.

Zuko sipped at his tea and sighed with satisfaction. No one could make tea like his uncle. Especially Zuko. He looked out the doors again to see Katara, now alone and watching the stars emerge. He got up and headed toward the bison.

* * *

Katara watched Zuko head towards Appa. Should she go? What would happen? She debated for several moment before heading in the same direction, determined to finally still the waves beating against her gut and her heart.

"So... what now?" The firelord was casually leaning in the saddle, waiting for a reply.

"We can't..." Katara was reluctant to continue. But Zuko, her Zuko, understood.

He simply nodded and prepared to jump off the bison before suddenly grabbing the waterbender by her waist, pressing her against him, and pleading, desperation etched in his golden eyes, "One more night. Please." She nodded and Zuko could swear that the sun was already breaking in her eyes, to start a new day.

"After dinner." Zuko nodded, sad, but satisfied. As he hopped off the bison, he looked back at the waterbender, who looked uncharacteristically tired and fragile. He watched her look towards the moon. For strength? For answers? For guidance?

* * *

Zuko calmly walked through the quiet town before heading back to the tea shop for dinner. He watched young couples laugh, hold hands, kiss in the streets. He wondered if he and Katara could have ever been like that. He wondered what would have happened if their love never went away. Or perhaps it was lost behind the words they could never find, the three simple words that would heal his broken heart.

Zuko hit a nearby wall, frustrated, scaring a nearby family. He quickly headed towards the woods. Angry and in sorrow, he cut, burnt, slashed, and disintegrated every tree, every blade of grass, that dared to whisper her name. He screamed at the moon and stars that had watched the pair each night.

They had come so far! They had made it through the goddamn war! Why couldn't she have just held on? There was nothing to fear! Aang would understand. And Zuko was always right beside her. And he would have been -hell, he still would be - right beside her, all his life. He would have been hers.

Zuko, now more at peace, walked back to the tea shop, a single question echoing in his head, _What about now?_

* * *

**A/N**: So this is the first part of three, which will may or may not end happily...and may or may not be updated regularly/in a timely manner. Just hope that the radio plays a happy song that I feel could fit Zutara and that I feel inspired/have time to write. Please review! (It would greatly increase the chances of a happy ending, or at least, better writing.) Oh, and _What About Now_ by Daughtry does not belong to me. It belongs to umm... Daughtry.


	2. Daylight

Katara sat on the bison saddle, waiting. After dinner she headed straight to Appa. She had no clue where the Firelord was. He had been quiet, contemplative, throughout the whole meal. He never looked at her.

The moon was full and Katara breathed in the cool night air, soaking in the power of the lunar light. She barely ate anything at dinner, but she still felt like throwing up. She kept telling herself she was doing the right thing, but a small, desperate, nagging voice kept saying otherwise.

"Hey." Zuko leapt into the saddle, cradling a package, a small, but bitter, smile on his face.

"Hey." Katara gave him a little wave. She pointed to the brown-papered package. "What's in there?"

Zuko's smile grew a bit wider. He plopped down next to the waterbender. She tried to resist leaning into him, his warmth and fire in the cool of the night. She instead focused on the crinkling of the paper as Zuko opened the package. A warm, sweet fragrance filled her nose.

"Honey cakes!" she gasped, surprised and delighted. That's when Zuko decided to treat this night as if it_ weren't_ the last. So they ate the fresh and sticky honey cakes and they laughed and they talked as if they had the whole world and their entire futures ahead of them, intertwined, together.

As the moon begin to sink towards the dark ocean, Katara's eyelids followed the motion and she fell asleep, a smile lingering on her face as she drifted toward the world of dreams. Zuko on the other hand, refused to listen to his body, the hour, pleading him to sleep. He kept thinking, _I'll have to leave soon. Why am I holding on? We knew this day would come...This is our last night..._

When the sky began to lighten and the sun began to rear its unwanted head, Zuko held Katara closer to his body. He looked down at her, the rising sun, illuminating her face, the most beautiful face to Zuko. He never wanted to end this relationship. He had never thought it would. He didn't want to start over, to try to find a love like Katara. There was no love like Katara.

Zuko, only for a second, looked to the sky getting brighter and the stars burning out. Zuko wished, he prayed, with his entire being that somebody,_ anybody_, would slow the sunrise down. He smiled a sombre smile as he thought about his old fear of the dark, of wishing for the sun to come up. When he was little, his mother had to hold him close because the dark had scared him so much. Now, that was all he wanted. Because when the daylight comes, he'll have to go. But for now, he'd just hold his love, his heart, his life, close.

* * *

**A/N:** One more chapter! Sorry for the wait and the shortness...but it seemed better this way, and hey, I updated. _Daylight_ by Maroon 5 belongs to them. Not me. Same goes for Avatar: the Last Airbender (but that belongs to Nickelodeon). Reviews are always appreciated. :)


	3. Smile

Zuko did not dare glance at the horizon, but he could feel it rising higher as energy coursed through his body and the orange light crawled across Katara's sleeping face. His brow furrowed in slight confusion as he saw Katara smile softly in her sleep. He wondered what she was dreaming about. Him? Or Aang? He quietly chuckled to himself; it was probably about honey cakes.

Katara's deep blue eyes fluttered open, contrasting the rising sun. "Hey." She smiled, melancholy, at him.

"Hey." Zuko ran his hand through her soft, dark hair. Katara moved to get up. Zuko began to panic. This was it. It was over. She was leaving him, but not really. He would still see her, often. But with with Aang, a boy whom he couldn't dream of harming. He quickly, but gently, grabbed Katara's arm. She sighed.

"Zuko, we talked about this -"

He interrupted her, "No. _You_ talked about this." Katara was now standing up, Zuko's hand still gripping her arm. Her mouth opened a little in shock. "Katara, you make me smile like the sun. When I think about you at night, I fall outta bed. When I'm in your presence, you make dizzy in the head. My heart swells and I want to sing like a bird."

Katara sat back down, Zuko's arm fell from hers. He leaned towards her with each word. "Dammit Katara, when I'm with you, sometimes, I forget how to breathe. You make me want to dance like a fool!" Somewhat embarrassed, Zuko moved away from Katara and placed his head in his hands, black locks drooping down. Katara stifled a giggle when she heard about the dancing.

"I... I don't know how I lived without you. When I'm with you... when I'm with you, I see the best of me inside your eyes." By this point, Zuko resembled a wilting panda lily. Katara leaned toward him and gently lifted his head out of his hands. _Screw it_, she thought before pressing her lips against his.

* * *

Aang head swiveled, searching, as he sat in his seat for breakfast. "Hey, where'd Katara and Zuko go?" All but Toph gave a shake of the head or a shrug. But Toph didn't really want to tell Aang where the pair was. She smiled minutely before yelling, "Isn't it their turn to feed Appa breakfast? Anyway, it means more grub for me!" Sokka whined loudly in protest.

* * *

Around lunch, the missing pair reappeared in the tea shop. They were holding hands and quietly chattering. "Katara?" Both heads turned towards the voice they were dreading to hear.

"Hey Aang," Katara said, slowly removing her hand from Zuko's. The little avatar didn't appear angry, just... sad. The water bender placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, look at me." Aang's brown, teary orbs looked into Katara's blue ones. "You never did give me the chance to tell you everything."

Aang was about to protest that she kissed him back. She wouldn't love him if she didn't stop loving Zuko? Right? Katara saw what Aang was about to say and quickly continued speaking, "Aang, I know that right now, you're confused and hurt. But the thing is... Zuko makes me smile like the sun, fall outta bed, and dizzy in my head." With each phrase she gradually turned her eyes toward Zuko, who looked like he needed to sit down.

"He makes want to dance like a fool, and sing like a bird, and sometimes, I forget how to breathe. I don't know how I lived without him, because every time I get around him, I see the best of me inside his eyes." Aang, though hurt, knew it would crush his heart if Katara was unhappy. He saw the way Katara just lit up when she saw Zuko, like the way she was glowing right now, in his presence.

Aang remembered the old proverb,_ If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they're yours. If not, they never were_. Katara was definitely Zuko's, and Zuko definitely Katara's. He never had Katara. And he was somewhat glad about that. Now, no one he cared about would be hurt or be in fear of hurting someone else (i.e. him). They were all free.

In the pause, with Zuko and Katara staring at one another, Aang said, "You know what, I'll be okay." He wiped the tears from his eyes and gave the couple a small smile. They both looked at him with concern.

"You sure, Aang?" Katara asked, worry etched in her voice.

"Yeah." Aang's smile grew bigger. "I'm sure." Katara hugged the little avatar.

"Can we stop all the sappy-mushy-gushy crap now? I'm hungry," a certain earthbender, who had silently entered the room earlier, groaned while taking her place at a nearby table. The three in the room just laughed and nodded.

* * *

When lunch was set up, Aang raised his tea cup and declared, "I propose a toast." The group raised their cups in compliance, with a bit of confusion. Wasn't this just any ordinary day? "To love."

Zuko and Katara blushed and, raising their cups, simultaneously replied, "To love."

Iroh, Toph, Suki, and Mai caught on as they saw the blushing pair and cheerfully proclaimed, "To love."

Only, and of course, Sokka remained somewhat confused, but liking the sentiment, also proclaimed, "To love! Now let's eat!" With laughter, the meal began.

Katara leaned towards Zuko, who appeared somewhat concerned about Sokka's obliviousness, and whispered, "Don't worry, I'll tell him later."

And when Sokka was full and and actually focused, Katara told him. And to Katara's delight, he refilled his tea cup and still proclaimed, "To love."

_Fin._

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait... _Smile_ by Uncle Kraker belongs to him, not me. As usual, same goes for Avatar: the Last Airbender (belonging to Nickelodeon).

And that's all folks! Hope you enjoyed!


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